Wednesday, June 15, 2005

Tom Friedman's Tipping Point Line Tease?

Is Tom Friedman moving the goalposts in the Tipping Point game? (Can I mangle a metaphor as well as Tom?)

November 19, 2004 " CAMP FALLUJAH, Iraq – Every time I visit Iraq, I leave asking myself the same question: If you total up all the positives and negatives, where does the balance come out? I'd say the score is still 4 to 4. We can still emerge with a decent outcome. And the whole thing could still end very badly. There's only one thing one can say for sure today: You won't need to wait much longer for the tipping point."

February 22, 2005 "And so, I like the way Malcolm has defined it because in that sense, Iraq -this election is a tipping point. I believe it has begun to reframe the issue."

June 15, 2005 "Well, we need to talk about Iraq. This is no time to give up - this is still winnable - but it is time to ask: What is our strategy? This question is urgent because Iraq is inching toward a dangerous tipping point-"

I think Tom needs to reframe the Tipping Point. Because a Point is........

(1) : a narrowly localized place having a precisely indicated position

And more on Point:

a geometric element of which it is postulated that at least two exist and that two suffice to determine a line

Therefore indeedy it is a TIPPING LINE!!!!!(Is that mangling as good as Tom's?)NO No No you say I am missing the Point. Tom doesn't give an exact point. He is only portending to predict a point, at some point in time in the future. So the game is still on. Therefore the goalpost has not actually moved at all.Yet.But it will soon.Not much longer...Just wait.....It's coming.Inching closer....Oh yeah....I feel the urgency.....Hold on....Oh yes......Hold it...oh yeah.....Yes.....YES.....YES.....It'sComing.Hold it....OH GOD......Hold it...OHMYGOD......YESSSSSSSSSS

NOSTOP!!!Wait.......

Oh I get it......the Tipping Point is a...........TIPPING TEASE!!!!!!!(Is THAT Okrent pleasing, mix-n-mangling as good as Tom NOW?)